The National Investigation Agency has revealed that the Indian Mujahideen (IM) had been planning to carry out blasts in Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi, Mumbai and some Gujarat towns, soon after the main accused in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan blasts, Haider Ali, was arrested this May. NIA also learnt that Haider’s associates had planned to escape to Afghanistan after triggering the blasts.

The NIA on Friday filed a chargesheet against against nine IM and one SIMI suspects in connection with the October 27th Gandhi Maidan blasts, which was the venue for Narendra Modi’s Hunkar rally. The names of the accused are Numan Ansari, Haider Ali, Mohammed Mujibullah Ansari, Umar Siddiqui, Azharuddin Qureshi, Ahmed Hussain, Faqruddin, Mohammed, Mohammed Iftekhar Alam and a minor (identity protected). Most of the accused are from Ranchi’s Sithio module.

NIA said that the accused had planned Gandhi Maidan blasts after they failed to come close to Modi at previous rallies in Delhi, Chhatisgarh and UP. Six people were killed in the Patna blasts and two accused were arrested on the spot, and one of them had later succumbed to bullet injuries.

This is the second chargesheet in Gandhi Maidan blasts case. In April, NIA had filed a chargesheet against Imtiaz Ansari after arresting him.

The major element of surprise is NIA not filing a case against one of IM kingpins Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu — arrested by IM in another case — in Gandhi Maidan blast case. Monu, second most wanted after IM mastermind Yasin Bhatkal, reportedly had played a key role in planning the Gandhi Maidan blasts and had later invited Haider Ali from Ranchi. A total of 17 bombs — seven of them had detonated — were found in and around Gandhi Maidan.

NIA has filed the chargesheet in a special NIA court and said that they had gathered enough evidence against the accused. The chargesheet said SIMI member Azharuddin Qureshi had been planning to escape to Afghanistan via Pakistan.